X-Men: Not Your Father's X-Men
by Dylan Wolf
Summary: This story had now been concluded and will not be continued due to lack of interest and other demands on the writer's time. To the handful who did follow it, thank you for your patronage.
1. Gathering

**Not Your Father's X-Men**

 **Chapter One: Gathering**

Sonya had seen better days. It was an unseasonably cold night for Manhattan in August. As she stepped out of the subway, she pulled the hood of her jacket tighter, making sure not to upset the sunglasses she was required to wear almost constantly. Hands in pockets and shoulders slumped against the wind; she made her way up Broadway, hugging the buildings as much as possible.

The man on the corner was a predator. He could smell desperation from a mile away and was drawn to it. He scanned the crowd and homed in on the small, thin girl. Not even he knew for certain what drew his attention. Maybe it was the way she glanced longingly at the windows of restaurants she passed, but tried to pretend she wasn't starving. Maybe it was the way her clothes didn't quite fit, but still looked good on her small frame. Whatever it was he identified his target and moved in for the kill

"Hey, little lady." He gave her his best smile. "What's a beautiful thing like you doing out on a night like this?"

She knew better. "Not talking to you that's for sure."

As she stepped around him, he grabbed her arm. "Hey, no call for being hostile. Let me buy you something to eat. We can talk. Maybe be friends. We could be good for each other."

Sonya turned and kneed the man in the groin with all her strength. "I said no."

He fell to his knees. "Bitch!"

She left, but less than a block later, she realized he was following her and gaining ground. She broke into a run, but he kept up and continued to get closer. She could hear his curses and threats now. Then he caught her and shoved her into an alleyway.

"We could have done this nice, little girl," he threatened as she staggered away from him. "Now, we're going to do it hard and mean. No one does that to me."

Then he made the biggest mistake of his life. He slapped her, knocking her sunglasses off kilter. The ruby red blast of force hit him like a freight train. He flew across the street and through the window of a store.

Shutting her eyes tightly, as store's alarms went off like a claxon, Sonya fumbled to extricate her sunglasses from her hood and get them back into place. She had to get away before people spotted her. Too late.

"What was that?"

"What hit him?"

"It was her."

"She's some kind of mutie."

"Get her. Get the freak."

The next hour was insane. She ran and ran. People chased her. Police were called. Federal authorities set up a cordon around the area. They were closing in. She'd never been more terrified in her life.

Then everything suddenly became incredibly calm. She turned a corner and almost trampled a woman sitting peacefully in a wheelchair.

"Easy, child." The woman actually smiled. "It's okay. You're safe now."

Sonya stumbled back a couple steps. "Who are you?"

The woman remained abnormally calm. "My name is Dr. Moira Xavier, Sonya. I detected your trouble and came to help."

Sonya looked around, expecting to see police or feds closing in, but they were alone. "How do you know my name?"

"I know a great deal about you, really. Sonya Summers; orphan and ward of the court; you're sixteen and ran away from your last group home two months ago after a man there tried to rape you. You've been on the street ever since. You had to start wearing those glasses because they were the only thing that stopped your headaches. Then the beams started. Now the ruby quartz in the lenses is the only thing that can contain them. I can help you."

As afraid as she was, Sonya started getting mad. "How the hell do you know all that about me? Who told you? You with the feds or something?"

"Or something," the woman responded. "I'm not with the feds. I'm a mutant, much like you. In my case, I can read minds."

 _I run a school where I try to help young people like you learn how to control your powers._ The woman's voice bounced around Sonya's head _. It's safe and warm and dry; and I can offer you something to eat and a soft bed to sleep in. I'll make sure that no one ever tries to take advantage of you again._

There was a pause. "By the way, I know you're concerned about the man you hit. You needn't worry. He's alive and no worse for wear than he deserves. If you'd like, my car is driving around the block. Here it comes now. I can get you out of this dragnet and then you can decide what to do from there."

A black stretch SUV pulled up and a ramp rolled out to give the chair access. Moira entered the van, leaving Sonya with a hard decision. In the end, she climbed inside. She figured it couldn't get her in any more trouble than she was already in. She climbed in and took a seat as close to the door as she could get. Then the ramp folded and the door closed automatically and the car pulled into the street.

The driver was a red headed woman in western garb. The only other person in the van was a Hispanic man in the front with her.

"Sonya," Dr. Xavier said, "I'd like to introduce you to Rose and Dr. Carlos Reyes. They're friends of mine. Carlos helps me run the school. Rose, take us out of the area, then find somewhere to get our young friend something to eat. We have a two hour drive ahead and she apparently hasn't eaten in a few days."

"You got it, Prof," the woman identified as Rose responded in a deep voice that resonated in the car. "We got a roadblock up ahead."

Moira nodded calmly, which kept Sonya from panicking. "Just drive up. I'll deal with it."

When the police approached them, Moira rolled the window down and addressed the officer quietly. "No one in this vehicle resembles the person you're looking for, Officer Calloway. You can let us pass."

Not even blinking, the cop turned to his team. "Let 'em through. They're clean."

Moira rolled the window up again and turned up the heater. The warmth felt so good that Sonya started to relax in spite of herself. Then they pulled in to a Hardees and passed a bag with several cheeseburgers and orders of fries back.

"Easy," Moira admonished her gently when she started to wolf the food down. "No need to rush. You'll make yourself sick. Take your time. No one is going to take it away."

As Sonya started to eat a little more slowly, Moira reached into the car's refrigerator and handed her a bottle of water. "Something to wash it down with."

By the time they left Manhattan, the warmth of the car, the food in her stomach and the exhaustion of the aftermath of her most recent bout of terror all collided. Sonya quietly fell asleep. Moira smiled gently and moved a lock of brown hair that had fallen across the girl's face back behind her ear.

"She the one you been looking for?" Rose asked without taking her eyes off the rain swept road.

"One of many," Moira informed her friend. "As are you. In fact, there are a great many people who will have a role to play in this conflict."

Sonya slept until they arrived at the mansion outside Salem Center that was Moira's ancestral home. She woke up as the car drove over the speed bump at the front gate.

"Welcome back," Moira greeted her. "You must be extremely tired. We've arrived at the Xavier Academy; also my home. I hope that in time you'll come to consider it home as well."

"What time is it?" Sonya asked as she looked around with some concern. "How long did I sleep?"

"You slept for about two hours," Carlos told her as they pulled up the drive and the house came into view. "It's almost nine pm. Are you hungry? Dinner is over, but I'm sure we can find you something appetizing in the kitchen."

"Just tired." She tried not to be in awe of the mansion as they exited the car and climbed the front steps.

"Understandable," Moira responded. "Carlos, will you take her to one of the open rooms and get her set up. I'll see you in the morning, Sonya. We can speak further then."

As Sonya accompanied Dr. Reyes, Moira took an elevator down to the complex beneath the mansion. The decor down here was as high-tech as the decor upstairs was Victorian. Through a pair of doors that opened automatically, she entered one of the many futuristic labs.

"Hannah?" Moira called out.

"Back here, Professor," the deep, but feminine voice responded. "Good to see you're back. Was your trip successful?"

"It was." Moira moved into the section where Hannah McCoy was working. "Sonya Summers has been safely brought into the fold. You'll have a chance to meet her in the morning."

Hannah nodded as she hung from the ceiling. She put down the chemicals she was mixing and flipped down to the floor. She was a large framed woman with definitely feline features and covered in black fur.

"Forge called while you were out," Hannah told her friend. "She's decided to join us. She stressed that she had no intention of becoming a superhero, but would give us access to her mechanical acumen teaching skills for as long as we need it."

"She'll be an asset to the school." Moira nodded. "Like you, me and Dr. Reyes, not everyone is equipped for field work."

"I am a little concerned, however," Hannah admitted. "That gives us four non-combatants and only two potential heroes."

Moira smiled. "That will change. I've spoken to John Gray's parents. John will be returning tomorrow. There are several others I expect to contact in the next week. Now that the school has officially opened, I can assure you that we'll have more than enough students to keep us busy. As for the field team, that will come together in time. Rose is the only confirmed member now, but that will change. I believe Sonya and John will want to join. They're young, but quite powerful. With training, they'll be a force to be reckoned with."

"I feel guilty for not joining them," Hannah admitted.

"Don't," Moira insisted. "We each have our role to play. Yours will be no less important. Yes, your powers would be a valuable asset in the field, but I agree that your mind is your greatest weapon. Your research will enable us help many less fortunate mutants who have mutations that are more a burden than a boon. Not everyone has the mindset for the task facing the X-Men."

Upstairs, Dr. Reyes took Sonya to a room that was bigger than some of the apartments she'd lived in. "I'm afraid it's pretty basic; bed, dresser, bureau, desk, nightstand. If you decide to stay with us, we can help you personalize it. There's a bathroom. You have it to yourself for now, but depending on how many students we wind up with, you may have to share it and the room with a roommate. There are some clothes in the closet and dresser. We didn't know your size, so we stocked a range. Keep what you want; someone will pick up the rest later."

Sonya nodded silently, but felt driven to say something. "Dr. Xavier said you were a mutant as well. What are your powers?"

"I have a personal force shield. It's mostly reflexive." He exhibited it for her. "It's pretty malleable. I'm even learning to use it offensively, but I'm not much of a fighter. I'm a medical doctor."

He left her with that and closed the door behind him. She looked around her. This place was too good to be real. She was waiting for the other shoe to drop. It was her experience that there was always another shoe. No one ever did anything for nothing; not for her, at least.

 _Oh, well,_ she thought, _might as well ride it for all its worth while I can._

She took a chair and leaned it against the door, jamming it under the door knob. It wouldn't stop anyone determined to get in, but it would give her a few seconds warning if someone did. She checked out the dresser and closet and was pleased to find an assortment of clothes that fit her. She chose a robe and a pair of pajamas.

In the bathroom, she checked for cameras and finding none turned the bath faucets on, added some bath salts she found on the counter and eventually got undressed. As she did so, she pulled a ceramic knife from a sheath in the small of her back and placed it on the edge of the tub in easy reach if she needed it.

Easing into the tub, she let the hot water and bath salts work their magic. She'd made due with public bathrooms and the occasional shower at a shelter or something for months. An actual bath without someone pounding on the door telling her to hurry up was an opportunity not to be missed or wasted. Just the chance to be truly clean was worth any risk she might be taking in her opinion.

Nearly an hour later, after the longest and most decadent bath she'd ever taken, she returned to the bedroom still drying her hair and sat down to test the bed. It was as soft and comfortable as she imagined; and it was so large; a queen at least. She pulled the covers back, slid her knife under her pillow, closed her eyes, put her glasses on the nightstand and eased into the cushions. She was asleep in seconds.

John Thomas Gray, JT to his friends, was a good looking, all-American, red headed, green eyed boy. He had a good physique for a sixteen year old, but wasn't a jock. He was smarter than most kids his age and wanted to become a doctor, but didn't make enough of a deal about it to be called a brain. He could read minds and move things with telekinesis. Other than that, though, he was just a wonderfully average kid about to enter his junior year of high school.

He woke up that morning in his bed in his parents' home in Annandale-on-the-Hudson, New York. It was like any other day, except it wasn't like any other day. This was the day he left to finish his schooling at the Xavier Academy. John first met Dr. Xavier several years earlier after the death of his best friend triggered his mutant powers. She taught him how to control his telepathic abilities and helped him access his telekinetic powers. She also told him about her dream and offered him a chance to take part in it.

His parents were scientists and would both be at work by now. They'd said their farewells the night before. A cab had been arranged to pick him up and drive him to the school. It was even pre-paid for. He had two hours to shower, eat and do any last minute packing before it was due. It was time to leave childhood behind and take his first steps into the big world.

At the mansion, Sonya slept late and they let her. When she did get up, she put on some clothes, secured her knife and headed down to find something to eat. She followed her nose to a small dining room off the main kitchen. Dr. Xavier, Dr. Reyes and the mysterious Rose were all there. So was a black furred cat-woman, who was making breakfast. Sonya did a double take on the woman, but didn't let it throw her. She'd read somewhere about how some mutants looked different.

"Good morning, Sonya," Xavier greeted her. "You already know everyone here except Dr. McCoy, who volunteered to play chef this morning. You're in for a treat. Hannah makes some of the best French toast I've ever tasted. She has a secret ingredient she absolutely refuses to share with anyone."

The cat-lady laughed deeply. "It's an old family secret passed down from mother to daughter for generations. My mother swore me to secrecy on her dying bed."

"Yeah, right." Rose smirked. "You told me both of your parents are alive and well, and living in Kansas."

"Oh, my stars and garters." Hannah huffed. "Of course they are, but that doesn't make for as good of a story."

"I could tell you the secret ingredient right now," Rose threatened playfully.

"You do," Hannah countered, "and I'll leave the biggest hairball you've ever seen in the center of your bed."

When Rose declined to continue the repartee, Hannah handed Sonya a plate of steaming French toast that smelled divine. She mumbled her thanks, then took it to a seat at the large table some distance from the others and began to eat.

Moira noted the behavior, but let it pass for the moment and spoke to Rose. "I need you to return to Manhattan and pick up two more students."

Rose nodded. "Where?"

Moira shook her head. "They're currently being held at Manhattan's 7th Precinct. They were picked up together on charges of automobile theft. We'll need to secure their release before INS claims the young man, as he's in the country illegally. Actually, his father was American, but he's declined to tell the police that fact."

"Sounds like a winner." Rose laughed.

"Appearances can be deceiving." Moira smiled enigmatically. "This is particularly true when dealing with people like T'Challa Monroe. He's been many things in his short life; an orphan, a Cairo street urchin, a pick pocket, a thief, a vagabond, even a deity. He's also the person responsible for the peculiar weather we had last night. He's rather mad at himself for getting caught and letting his emotions get away from him."

She dabbed some syrup from her mouth. "His companion is one Rita LeBeau. They met when T'Challa landed in New Orleans. They've been travelling together ever since. I've been using Cerebro to watch over them and gently steering them towards us. Before you leave, I'll give you papers granting the school custody of both of them and releasing them to you. Talk to them first. Tell them about the dream and offer them a chance to take part. I spoke with T'Challa mentally before he left Africa."

Rose nodded. "So I'm just to close the deal, then. No problem. I'll take the Mustang and be back before dinner."

Moira seemed agreeable and turned her attention to Sonya. "Did you sleep well, Miss Summers?"

Sonya had been listening so intently to the conversation that she almost jumped at the mention of her name, then blushed. "Great."

"Excellent. After breakfast, if you wouldn't mind, would you meet me in my office? I'd like to discuss your future and tell you more about the school and what I'm trying to do here."

Sonya nodded. "Cool. I'll be there."

Moira smiled and pulled out from the table. "It's the door off the foyer on the left. You can't miss it. My name's on it. I'll see you in fifteen minutes, then?"

After Xavier left, Carlos got up. "You'll need a full physical if you decide to stay. As school physician, I usually do them; with the assistance of Dr. McCoy, of course. If you'd rather, however, she's more than capable of doing it herself. It's up to you. The Professor will probably bring you down after your talk. Plenty of time to decide then."

A few minutes after Carlos left, Hannah made her departure as well, leaving Sonya alone with Rose, who seemed to be in no particular hurry to get started.

"So," Sonya asked when she could no longer contain her curiosity. "What's your story? Seems Dr. Xavier has a thing for strays."

Rose frowned. "You could say that. She's a good lady; a believer with enough charisma to draw others to her cause. As for who I am, I don't know. I don't have much of a memory before Xavier found me up in Canada. What I do remember gives me nightmares. The Prof thinks I was part of some kind of covert ops organization. I'm not sure, but I got the skills to back it up. I think my name's Rose, but that's only because it feels right and not from any memory."

Sonya shrugged. "So what do you do? What powers do you have?"

"A regular little Nancy Drew with all the questions, aren't you?" Rose laughed harshly. "I heal . . . fast. My senses are enhanced; particularly my sense of smell. Somewhere along the line, someone laced my skeleton with some miracle metal called adamantium."

At that point, she popped the claws on her left hand. "Claws are unbreakable and sharp enough to cut through just about anything."

Rose finished her coffee, grabbed a beer from the refrigerator, popped the top and headed towards the door to the outside. "Time for you to head over and have that talk with the Prof. Me, I have a couple more strays to pick up. Take it easy."

Sonya took her dishes to the sink, quickly rinsed them and put them in the dishwasher, then headed into the foyer to find Dr. Xavier's office. As advertised, it was easy to find. The door even opened on its own when she knocked.

"Come in, Sonya." Moira sat behind a large desk with a panorama window behind her, showing the back yard and pool. "Please close the door behind you and have a seat."

She complied, sitting down across the desk from the woman and sitting uncomfortably on the edge of the seat.

Moira smiled bemusedly. "Relax, my dear. I'm not going to bite."

Sonya hadn't realized she was holding her breath and made a conscious effort to relax. She didn't know why she was so nervous, but she sensed this meeting was going to be an important event in her life.

"I had your last school send me your transcripts," Moira began. "I should tell you I'm impressed. A lot of children in your situation struggle in school, but you've maintained a 3.5 GPA. That's quite an accomplishment."

Sonya shrugged. "I always liked school. It got me out of the house and away from whoever was supposed to be keeping me."

Moira nodded. "I'd like to offer you a full scholarship at my school. With your permission, I'd also like to become your legal guardian. You're a very strong young woman; independent and driven, but compassionate and possessing a well-developed sense of right and wrong."

Sonya frowned. "What's in it for you? I don't mean to be rude after you've been so nice, but I've never met anyone who did anything for anyone that didn't benefit themselves."

Moira's smile became a little sad. "I have a dream; one that I believe you could share and help make a reality. I dream of a world where humans and mutants can live together in peace; a world where things like what happened last night are only unpleasant memories; a world where children like you can grow up without having to hide what they are; where they can live free from fear."

She paused. "In addition to this school, I'm forming a team to protect mutants, battle those who would abuse them or abuse baseline humans in their name and serve as an example of what mutants are capable of if given a chance."

Despite herself, Sonya found the Professor's appeal extremely convincing. It wasn't so much what she said as the compassion and sincerity with which she said it. People who believed this strongly in anything were rare; practically nonexistent in Sonya's experience.

Moira wasn't quite finished. "Sadly, there are people out there on both sides who will fight us. There are mutants who have been so hurt by baselines that all they are capable of feeling towards them is abject hatred. There are other mutants who believe that mutant-kind is the Cro-Magnon to the baselines' Neanderthal and seek to dominate humanity and rule the world. There's also an old saying that man fears what he doesn't understand and what man fears he destroys. This is sadly true for a lot of non-mutants out there. They don't understand us. We scare them; terrify them, even. There are also those who simply hate anyone who is not like them. This type of benighted soul has been with us since the dawn of time."

Sonya had run into many examples of the kinds of people Moira was describing. She knew firsthand how destructive they could be.

"Someone has to be willing to step into the breach," Dr. Xavier continued. "Someone has to be willing to risk it all in order to protect the innocents regardless of their genetic origins. Someone has to be willing to serve as an example for others to follow. It won't be easy. Many will consider us criminals and even terrorists without cause. Some of us may even be called on to sacrifice their lives; become martyrs. Most people are unlikely to accept us, much less love us. In time, however, I believe that with the right people setting the right example, this can change."

She paused one last time as Sonya sat in rapt silence. "What say you, Sonya Summers? Is this something you can believe in? Is this a dream you can embrace? Are you ready to believe you can change the world?"

Sonya didn't say anything for several moments, but when she did, it was with determination. "Ma'am, I don't know if this is a dream, a daydream or a pipedream, but I've lived on the streets and seen what happens to mutants out there. Someone has to do something. Guess what I'm saying is; I'm in."

Moira smiled and nodded. "Excellent. I'll take care of the paperwork. For now, however, we need to get you a full physical. We have equipment beneath this mansion that was specifically designed to treat and care for mutants. I'm concerned with your sketchy memories of your childhood before you became a ward of the court and with your inability to control your eye beams. Both suggest some kind of early head trauma. If that's the case, it's possible that we can find a way to reverse it."

The Professor rolled her power chair out from behind the desk. "Follow me, if you will."

With Sonya following quietly, Xavier entered the nearby elevator and they descended. The change of décor was shocking to Sonya. She felt like she'd stepped onto the set of a science fiction movie. She almost delayed long enough in the elevator after the Professor moved out that the doors started closing before she shook herself from her daze.

Secretly smiling at the girl's reaction, Dr. Xavier led her to the medical bay. "There's a hospital gown in the small room over there. Please remove all of your clothes and put it on, then come out. Many of the devices in here use magnetic resonance imaging, so you can't have anything metallic on your person. That means you'll have to leave your knife behind. I hope that won't be a problem."

Sonya considered, then did something she never thought she'd be capable of. She took the knife from her belt and handed it to Xavier.

"It's ceramic, but I don't think I'll be needing it anymore. I kept it more so I could defend myself without using my powers, anyway."

Xavier understood what a measure of trust this took for Sonya to do and was humbled by it. "No, child. You won't need it again . . . ever."

When Sonya emerged dressed only in the gown, Dr. Reyes and Dr. McCoy were both waiting with Xavier. She blushed a little self-consciously and tried to find something to do with her hands; finally deciding to cross them over her chest. If the adults noticed her discomfort, they tactfully ignored it. Their professional response definitely helped her relax.

Realizing that given her history, Sonya might not be comfortable with a man, Carlos deliberately held back and let Moira and Hannah do all the hands on parts of the examination. Through it all, they treated her like an adult; explained everything they were doing and why, and answered any questions she had. She had her fair share of questions. By the time they got to the gynecological exam, she'd relaxed enough that she didn't balk even a bit.

By the time she returned dressed in her street clothes after the exam, the three doctors were reviewing the results. Dr. McCoy gestured her over.

"Let me show you what we found." An MRI image of Sonya's head was up on the display. "The Professor was right. You suffered a major head trauma at some point in the past. There's some scarring and we believe that's the cause of your inability to control your eye beams."

She didn't see anything different about the part of the brain they indicated, but nodded. "Can you fix it?"

"We believe so," Carlos said. "It will require surgery and any surgery involving the brain is risky, but we have the best tools in the world in this complex."

"Will you be doing the surgery?"

"No." He shook his head. "There's a doctor in Scotland. His name is Brian MacTaggart. In addition to being an expert on mutant genetics, he's one of the best neurosurgeons in the world. I doubt there's anyone better at the procedure we're suggesting."

"Brian is an old friend," Moira added. "He's been a part of the Mutant Underground from the beginning. I'll call him, send him your test results and get him to fly out to do the surgery."

"What's the Mutant Underground?" Sonya asked.

"It's a network of concerned people who work to help mutants in trouble." Moira explained. "Most of them are baselines and many are the parents, relatives or friends of mutants; many of whom were killed by the prejudice of others. They serve as my eyes and ears in the world at large, and are often more reliable than Cerebro in locating young mutants coming into their powers."

Sonya remembered hearing that term before. "What's Cerebro? You mentioned it at breakfast earlier."

Moira smiled. "Cerebro is a computer that enhances the powers of a telepath, enabling them to scan the globe and identify the unique mental signatures of other mutants; particularly ones just starting to manifest their abilities. It's designed to work specifically with my unique powers, but it will work almost as well with any telepath."

"Cool," was all Sonya could think to say.

"There's another option you need to think long and hard about." Dr. Xavier's entire affect changed. "If the surgery doesn't work, I have an ability that might. It's unpredictable . . . as Hannah can testify."

Hannah smiled. "I told you long ago, Professor, I don't blame you for what happened to me. I was the one who tried to experiment on myself. If you hadn't helped stabilize me, I'd have continued to mutate uncontrollably."

"What's this ability?" Sonya asked.

"I can enhance the mutations of another mutant." Xavier's distaste for using this ability was obvious. "Optimize them. The problem is there's no way to predict, much less control, the outcome. I could turn you into . . . ."

"A monster?" Hannah smiled.

Moira turned to her friend with a sad smile of her own. "Never that. You could never be that."

Sonya understood and found it actually refreshing to realize that Dr. Moira Xavier wasn't infallible. "If the surgery fails, we'll consider it. If I came out looking as cool as Dr. McCoy, I could live with it."

It was just past noon when Rose entered the 7th Precinct. She presented her forged credentials, then waited. Eventually she was escorted to an interrogation room where the two teenagers were waiting. T'Challa Monroe was a tall, muscular young black man with straight white hair and clear blue eyes. Rita LeBeau was a cocky brunette with red eyes she must have passed off as contacts, who fiddled constantly with a deck of cards."

"Name's Rose," she introduced herself as she took a seat once they were alone. "Xavier sent me."

"About time," Rita interjected cynically. "We was startin' t' t'ink we might haveta break outta here on our own."

"Stealin' that car didn't help," Rose countered.

Rita laughed. "We di'nt steal it, ma'amselle. We jus' borrow it a bit is all."

Rose wasn't impressed. "I'm guessin' ya both know the score. There's a war goin' on 'tween mutants an' humans. We're th' kids in th' middle tryin' t' keep innocents from gettin' hurt. Xavier thinks men an' mutants can learn to live together. Me, I ain't so sure, but I'm willin' t' give her dream a shot. It's a sight better 'n anything else out there. Question is, you in or you out?"

T'Challa nodded. "I came to this country all the way from Africa with your Professor in my head. I'm in."

Rita laughed. "Where he goes, I go. We a team, non?"

Rose got up. "The charges against you have been dropped . . . this time. The police don't like it, but the guy whose car you took is refusin' t' press charges. Seems Xavier had a li'l talk with him. Monroe, 'til we get th' problems with y'r nationality straightened out, y'r an exchange student. Since y'r both only sixteen, y'r officially wards o' th' school. Try t' look embarrassed an' contrite when we leave. Y'r both s'posed t' be in big trouble when we get back home."

Both kids played their roles. Rita went overboard, of course; bawling her eyes out with apologies. Rose rolled her eyes and barely resisted the urge to hurl. The Cajun bad girl wasn't exactly starting off on the best foot.

Back at the mansion, the cab carrying John dropped him off. As it drove away, he looked up at the venerable manor with some butterflies in his stomach. He'd been here before; many times, actually. This time was different. This time he was coming to stay.

Seeing the Professor had come out to greet him, John smiled. He looked the smallish brunette with him over quickly, without being too obvious. She was cute enough. With a little effort, she could be downright gorgeous.

He quickly kissed Moira on the cheek, then turned to Sonya, bowed and kissed her hand. "John Gray, at your service; JT to my friends."

Sonya blushed. "Sonya . . . Sonya Summers."

She'd run into a lot of boys like John. Most of them never paid much attention to her. Then again, she hadn't wanted them to. Part of her survival mechanism included being as anonymous and unremarkable as possible. There was something different about this one, though. He seemed to be genuinely nice; even chivalrous. She realized this was a boy she could be comfortable with and that terrified her more than when she first discovered her powers.

"Please come inside." Moira tried hard not to casually intrude into her students' thoughts, but it was difficult where teenage hormones were involved. "Lunch awaits us."

John nodded, then turned back to his bags at the foot of the stairs. He concentrated for a moment. Suddenly, they floated up and followed him.

Over lunch, Moira filled the two students in on her plans for the school. "At the moment, we'll be starting with five students. That will change as I discover more young mutants. I don't intend all my students to become members of the team I'm calling the X-Men; both because it can mean Xavier's men and because you all have extra-normal abilities. Most of the children who come here will be here simply to learn to control their abilities and to protect them from those who would want to control or harm them. At least at first, the team will consist of the five of you."

He turned to Sonya. "John, is a telekinetic and a telepath. He's chosen the codename or call-sign, Phoenix, after the mythical bird. Given your abilities, Sonya, I was thinking Marvel Girl. Your eye beams are a most marvelous power."

Sonya grimaced. "I guess you could have come up with a lot worse options, like Cyclops or something."

John smiled, which completely blew her detached teenager act. "I think Marvel Girl fits you."

"Rose has chosen the name Lynx." Moira continued. "For purposes of field communication, I'll be using the name, Sage. Dr. McCoy will be Hellcat and Dr. Reyes will be Blockade. A Cheyenne engineer, Antoinette 'Toni' Stark, will be joining us in a few days. She prefers to be called Forge. For reasons of their own, the three of them have decided their best roles are as support. For the most part, they consider themselves scientists, not heroes. As for the other two, young Mr. Monroe will be called Storm and Miss LeBeau already uses the nom de guerre, Rogue."

She finished her meal and wiped her mouth demurely "For the most part, courses will be taken independent study. You will meet with various instructors once or twice a week and we're all always available if you need help, but I want to stress responsibility and personal initiative in my students. You'll need both in this world."

"I'm guessing that Underwater Basket Weaving won't be on the curriculum," Sonya quipped, trying to sound witty and convinced she failed miserably.

"I'm afraid not." Moira smirked. "For the most part, you'll be taking college caliber courses. Both of you, like a statistically larger number of mutants, are highly intelligent. As a teacher, my job will be to help you develop the potential you have. Coursework will be difficult and I will be pushing you every inch of the way, but I'll also be there to give you as much help as you need to be a success. Any questions?"

Sonya only had one. "When do we start?"

Moira smiled, appreciating the girl's enthusiasm. "Classes will start Monday morning. You'll each be issued a laptop that has access to the mansion's mainframe. All your textbooks will be available in digital form on both the laptops and on the desktops in your rooms; as well as the computers in the library and other places around the mansion. If like me, you prefer actually having a book in your hands to reading off a screen; physical texts will be made available as well."

John had some questions of his own. "What about training?"

"Let me introduce you to the Danger Room." Moira led them down to the monitor room overlooking a warehouse sized chamber. "Using automation, realistic holograms and force fields, we can duplicate any environment, situation or threat imaginable."

As Moira moved to the console and began flipping through programmed environments, John whistled. "Professor, I've been training with you for almost three years and you never brought me down here. Why?"

Moira shrugged. "It wasn't required, John. Your training until now has mainly been to help you control your telepathy. The Danger Room wasn't required for that and your telekinetic powers are a recent development. Besides, the Danger Room is a combat simulator. Until now, I wasn't training you to fight. The fact is; most of the students at this school won't need to be put through it. We have facilities above ground to handle the training they'll need to learn control of, responsibility for, and proper use of their powers."

"I'm not sure how useful I'll be in a fight if I can't control my powers," Sonya noted. "I know we're working on that, but what if it doesn't work?"

Moira had thought of that. "I asked Hannah to look into that. Until you're able to control your powers on your own, you need something to contain and when needed focus your beams. I envision a visor utilizing the same ruby quartz that is in your glasses."

Sonya quirked her nose. "That's something else I've been wondering about. Why is this quartz stuff the only thing that can contain my beams?"

"Actually," Dr. Xavier informed her student, "ruby quartz is a misnomer for what's in your glasses. The crystal in your lenses is actually a silicate with microscopic grains of a metal called vibranium in it. The red coloring is simply a refraction of light caused by the interaction of the crystal and the metal."

Sonya brightened. "I remember hearing about vibranium in Chemistry class. The teacher said it's extremely rare; only found in a single deposit somewhere in Africa. It's supposed to be able to absorb and dampen massive amounts of energy. I never knew it was in my lenses."

Moira nodded approvingly. "The crystal comes from the nation of Wakanda. It's actually a byproduct of the mine. The quantity of vibranium in the crystal is minimal and not worth the cost of extraction. The crystal is not without its uses, however. I'd be interested in knowing how the people who gave you those sunglasses got their hands on it."

"I don't know," Sonya admitted. "Three years ago, I started getting these terrible headaches. They took me to a lot of doctors, but no one could figure out what was happening. Then this ophthalmologist contacted the hospital working on me. I never met her, but they told me she heard about my case and offered to help. They said she developed these special lenses. When I put them on, the headaches started to lessen, then went away completely. When the beams started last year, the glasses were the only things that could contain them."

She shrugged. "I think her name was Dr. Essex, or something. I don't know why, but I never really wondered that much about her. I was just happy to finally find something that worked and get rid of the headaches."

"Interesting," Xavier mused. "That's something I'd like to look more deeply into for certain. It's not a concern for today, though."

A few hours later, the Professor had left John and Sonya to get to know each other. Sonya was a little nervous at first, but once she relaxed, John discovered to his delight that the girl was fearless. He liked that trait a lot. For Sonya's part, John was the first decent guy to pay much attention to her. Most guys, if they even acknowledged her existence just wanted to get in her pants. That wasn't going to happen, so they quickly lost interest. If they didn't, that's what she carried a knife for.

Shortly before Rose returned with T'Challa and Rita, Xavier reappeared. "Change of plans. A mutant I've been watching in Germany is in trouble. As soon as the others return, we'll be flying to Europe. I spoke with Dr. MacTaggart, Sonya. He's had a chance to look over your tests and agrees that he should be able to help you. Since we're going to be in the area, we'll see about taking care of your problem there. He has pretty much the same equipment in his lab as we have here. I'll drop you; Dr. McCoy and Dr. Reyes off on the way, then return with our newest student, Krista Wagner."

Sonya blanched slightly. "Will I need to have my head shaved?"

"Hardly," Moira assured her. "The procedure can be done laparoscopically, using micro-tools and lasers; and will require only the smallest of incisions. Brian is an expert with this sort of procedure. You needn't worry."

Sonya relaxed visibly and the Professor turned to John. "I'll be taking you and the others with me. You shouldn't be called on to use your powers, but it should be good experience for you."

Ten minutes later, John and Sonya were looking at the magnificent black jet in awe. T'Challa and Rita were there as well and just as awestruck. Introductions were over and it was time to board the jet and take off.

"This is so cool," Sonya said, then realized she was being repetitive and corrected herself. "Incredible."

"Both," John agreed.

"Magnifique." Rita found a seat and belted herself in.

Dr. McCoy sat in the pilot chair. The Professor rolled her chair into position at the co-pilot position and locked in. Dr. Reyes was seated in the back where an emergency med-bay was set up.

"If anyone has a problem with air sickness?" He asked calmly, "see me for some Dramamine."

Sonya had never been on a plane before, but she wasn't about to make a point of it. John, who was sitting across the aisle from her, turned and smiled a smile that was at once sympathetic and supportive. It should have enraged her, but for some reason it encouraged her and helped her relax. What was it about this guy that cut through all her defenses like they were butter in the hot sun? He told her that not only did he not read people's minds without permission; he worked very hard to protect himself from accidentally picking up stray thoughts. Could she trust him?

The flight across the Atlantic was made at supersonic speed, although you couldn't tell it inside the cabin. Not even the vertical takeoff from the mansion and landing on the isolated Muir Island off the stormy coast of Scotland was felt by the passengers. Dr. MacTaggart, a brunette of medium height and build was waiting for them on the landing pad. A boy of about twelve with reddish brown hair stood beside him.

"Moira," MacTaggart greeted his old friend as they disembarked. "T'is good t' be seein' ya again."

Moira shook the man's hand affectionately. "Unfortunately, I can't stay. We need to get to Germany as quickly as possible. There's a young lady there who is in a lot of trouble."

She paused, then turned to Sonya. "This is my student and ward, Sonya Summers. She's the young lady we spoke about. Hannah and Carlos will be staying to assist you. The rest of us will return as quickly as possible once we've rescued our newest student."

That was pretty much it. Xavier and the others returned to the plane, leaving Sonya behind and quickly lifted. In seconds they were lost in the roiling clouds that almost always covered the rock with pretensions of being an island.

"Let's get ye inside then, lass." MacTaggart steered Sonya and the others to a jeep, then drove them to a pleasant looking house that seemed incongruous against the backdrop of the extremely high tech lab complex behind it. "We'll be gettin' t' work right off an' lookin' inside that wee head o' yours. See if we can't figure out an' fix what's been causin' y'r control problems."

Suddenly, MacTaggart realized he wasn't being a very good host. "Ach. Where are me manners? This handsome young man is my ward, Renn Sinclair. He's recently come into my custody."

The boy, who was dressed very simply, nodded shyly. "Nice t' meet ya."

They stopped in the house long enough for some warm cider to ward off the Scottish chill, then the three doctors took Sonya out the back door of the house and down a short hall to the massive Muir Island Research Facility.

Sonya was awestruck again, but at least she was starting to get used to the sensation. "This place is incredible. Do you and Renn live here alone?"

"Nay, lass," MacTaggart assured her. "We have a small staff. They're all spendin' th' weekend on th' mainland."

In record time, Sonya was prepped for surgery. Seconds after Dr. McCoy injected her with a sedative, she was sound asleep. Hannah then laid Sonya gently face down on the operating table. A padded circle cradled her face. Her hair was tied in a bun and covered with a cap to keep the area at the base of her skull where they would be making the incision and drilling the hole that would give the micro-tools access to her brain.

Once Dr. McCoy completed the prep, Dr. Reyes and Dr. MacTaggart took over and she moved to a seat off to the side where she could keep a close eye on the displays monitoring Sonya's condition. With luck, the whole procedure would only take a few hours.

Even as the operation was beginning off the coast of Scotland, in Germany, near the foot of the Bavarian Alps, Krista Wagner was running for her life. Earlier that day, she'd managed to evade the citizens of the small village where she was trapped and hide out in a barn. Once night fell, she continued to wait a while longer, hoping to let them fall asleep before slipping out to make good her escape. She underestimated their determination.

Now, near exhaustion and too tired to teleport, she struggled to stay one step ahead of the torches and shouts that followed her. Suddenly, her path was blocked by another mob of villagers. She was trapped. It would soon be over.

The locals thought a demon had been loosed in their midst. Three children had disappeared, only to be found ritualistically mutilated and in the midst of a pentagram that had been painted with their own blood. When they spotted Krista nearby, they assumed she was the demon they'd been looking for. It was an understandable mistake for these rural, isolated and superstitious people to make. In the circus, where she had worked as a trapeze artist, her stage name had been the Demoness. She looked the part; blue black hair and fur, pointed ears, yellow eyes, fangs, two fingers and a thumb on each hand, a prehensile tail; even two toes and a heal toe on each foot. That appearance was now about to get her killed.

Gathering the last of her strength, Krista leaped to the roof of a nearby house. It was her last hope, but it was dashed. Someone saw her jump and the villagers surrounded the house and set it ablaze with their torches. That was it. Krista knew she was dead. Help wouldn't get there in time, but she wasn't going down without a fight.

Leaping from the roof, she dove into the midst of the crowd; kicking, punching, biting and giving it everything she had. If she was going to die tonight, they would at least remember they'd been in a fight. Then, suddenly, everything stopped. They had her down and were about to drive a stake through her chest of all things when suddenly they froze; their eyes going blank.

"Vas?" She wriggled free of the frozen hands gripping her and stood up.

 _Hello, Krista._ __Xavier's voice appeared in her head.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Krista limped her way through the crowd, smiling wryly. "You certainly like to cut things close, Frau Professor."

"My apologies," Xavier said as she and the students stepped out of the tree line. "We came as quickly as we could and just arrived. Are you well?"

"I am now." She smiled.

"I have an offer for you, Krista," Xavier began as T'Challa summoned a storm that drenched the fire before it could get out of hand. "I run a school in New York in the United States; a school for mutants like all of us. It's a place where you can live and flourish without having to worry about a mob attacking you like they did tonight. I'd like to offer you a full scholarship to attend there."

"How could I not accept such an offer?"

"Good." Moira shook the young woman's hand. "Our plane is in a clearing back there. Is there anything you want to take with you?"

"Nein." Krista shook her head sadly. "I left everything behind when I left the circus. I had a dispute with the new management and decided it was best I not stay to pack."

Moira nodded as they walked through the woods and entered the clearing. "We'll take care of getting you some new clothes and anything else you need when we return to the school."

Rose frowned. "We just gonna leave those idiots t' wake up none the worse for wear?"

Moira turned to her. "What would you have us do, Rose; kill them? No, we accomplished what we came here to do. Leave them to their ignorance."

Rose nodded curtly and boarded the jet. "Y'r a lot more forgivin' n' I am, Professor. I'd be inclined t' at least embarrass 'em a bit; leave 'em with somethin' t' remember us."

Xavier almost smiled. "I won't deny that the temptation isn't strong, Rose, but in this instance, this is for the best. You can't argue with blind ignorance. It's a debate you'll never win. Since these people no longer pose a threat, let's leave them to return to their rural existence."

When Sonya awoke as the sun was rising over Muir Island, she looked around to find Dr. Xavier reading quietly next to her bed. "How'd the rescue go?"

Moira looked up and smiled. "Well. We arrived just in time. It could have ended very badly otherwise. How do you feel?"

"Woozy."

"Understandable." Moira adjusted her chair to a standing configuration, poured a glass of water and helped Sonya drink it. "Dr. MacTaggart tells me the operation was uneventful. How much of a success it was, we'll have to see. Let's get some food into you, then we'll put it to the test."

The others were all waiting in the house when Xavier and Sonya emerged from the research complex. Breakfast was served, although it was more a late dinner for most of them. The only sign that she'd just been through an operation was a small bandage on the back of Sonya's neck.

Dr. MacTaggart and Renn joined them at the table and Brian had a surprise for Moira. "Th' boy an' I 'ave spoken, an' I'd like ye t' take Renn t' New York wit' ye. Ye know th' lad's a mutant an' a shapeshifter. I could see t' his trainin' easy enough, but this isolated rock t'is no place f'r a boy t' be growin' up an' there be issues on th' mainland f'r him."

"What do you say, Renn?" Xavier asked.

"Ah'd rather stay here," the boy responded shyly, but honestly, "but Da says it'll do me good t' be wit' other kids who're like me. Ah aim t' do him proud."

MacTaggart placed a gentle hand on the boy's head. "Ye already have, lad. Ye already have. Ah couldn' be more proud o' ya if ya was my own."

Moira nodded. "You'll be a few years younger than the rest of the students, Renn, but that will change soon enough as more students arrive."

Brian had one more request. "I'll be askin' ye not t' start trainin' th' lad f'r y'r team yet, Moira."

Moira understood. "Of course. Renn is only twelve and far too young to be involved in what is basically a war. There will be plenty of time later for him to decide whether or not he wants to become a hero."

If Renn minded adults talking about him in front of his face, he hid it well.

"Welcome to the family, Renn," JT offered. "It'll be good to have another guy around. Storm and I were starting to feel a bit outnumbered."

"And dis is a bad t'ing?" Rita smirked playfully. "T'ink of it like a target rich environment."

"There is that," he had to admit.

Outside after the meal, it was time to see how well the surgery worked. Sonya stood with her back to the house and lab complex, facing an outcrop of rock.

"Relax," Moira admonished her gently. "Just close your eyes and remove the glasses. Will yourself not to fire. Don't worry if it fails at first. It may take some training to get it right. This is just a first test."

She nodded and complied. When she opened her eyes, nothing happened. It was the first time in almost two years that Sonya looked at the world without having it filtered through red lenses. She was jubilant, but the second she lost focus, a powerful blast from her eyes turned the outcropping into dust.

"Rats." She quickly put the glasses back on.

"No," Xavier assured her proudly. "You did excellently. You controlled the beam with just focused will. It's a marvelous start. We'll need to do further tests once we get back to the school, but I'm very pleased."


	2. Sisterhood

**Chapter Two: Sisterhood**

By the end of October, there were over thirty students enrolled at the Academy. Most of them were younger students but the X-Men team grew from six to nine. First to arrive was Wanda Worthington, a wealthy young woman with deadly wings and healing blood. She was joined by Kevin Pryde, a young man from Chicago who could walk through walls and Tatiana Rasputin, a Russian teenager who towered over everyone else at the school and could become even taller when she activated her armored skin.

Danger Room sessions were three a week. Sonya showed her leadership skills early on and Moira declared her team leader, with T'Challa, who Americanized his first name to Charles, as her second. The team was shaping up, but they had yet to be put to the test in the field. That was about to change.

On Halloween, Wanda got the rest of the students invited to a big society soiree in the Berkshires. It was a costume party for upper crust teens thrown at an extremely posh country club. She wanted JT to be her date, but he had other plans. Wanda was nice enough and absolutely gorgeous, but John set his mind on Sonya Summers almost from the first time they met.

Storm and Rogue attended together; their relationship, assuming there even was one, still undefined. T'Challa was dressed as an Arabian Knight and Rita as a sexy Robin Hood. Kevin, who used the codename Shadowcat, went as a ninja. Wanda, or Archangel, went as an angel. She was just happy not to have to restrain her wings for once. Krista, too, chose a costume designed to accentuate her normal appearance. Tatiana, who was now being called Titania, went as the shield slinging patriotic super heroine, Lady Liberty. John went as a swashbuckler and Sonya went as Joan of Arc. Rose hadn't wanted to go, but was finally convinced and chose a geisha costume that looked confining, but was deceptively loose and even tore away if needed. Leave it to Rose to come prepared for a fight.

Moira went as chaperone, but declined to wear a costume despite much goading from her students. Dr. Reyes and the lady called Forge were in attendance as well; dressed as a doctor in scrubs and another super heroine, the wall crawling urban heroine, Black Widow, and keeping eyes on the rest of the students who were attending. Dr. McCoy stayed back in Westchester with some of the younger students who wanted to go trick or treating; including Renn Sinclair who had never done it before. Renn went dressed as Robert the Bruce, his favorite figure from Scottish history.

Before the party, Sonya freaked out just a bit and almost decided not to go. This would be her first official date with JT and she was in full panic mode. Fortunately, Rita, Krista and young Bobbi Drake were on hand to reel her in.

"Don't be a party pooper, Sonya." Bobbi pouted; looking sickeningly cute in her princess costume.

"What if I make a total fool of myself?" Sonya insisted, biting her lip and almost in tears. "What if I lose control of my eye beams?"

Although Sonya no longer had to wear her special glasses all the time, she still struggled with control. If she let her attention slip, power would start to build and she would have mere seconds to catch herself. When beams did fire, they did so in a wide and very destructive cone. In training, she wore a visor designed by Dr. McCoy to channel and focus her beams. The same lenses were built into the mask she wore with the costume. The operation hadn't been as much of a success as Dr. Xavier had hoped for, but Sonya wasn't complaining.

"You'll do fine, Sonya." Krista insisted. "You look vonderful."

"What she said," John interjected from the doorway of Sonya's room. "You'll put all those society snobs to shame."

He looked marvelous with his white shirt, tight pants, high boots, floppy hat and sword belt. He even wore a theatrical moustache and half beard to complete the look.

Finally taking a deep breath, Sonya reminded herself that she was no longer a scared little street kid. Determined to come out of her shell if it killed her, she nodded, lassoed the butterflies in her stomach and accepted JT's offered arm. This was going to be her first date and she was determined to make the most of it.

Even as the students at the Xavier Academy left the hotel where they were going to spend the night and boarded limousines for the drive to the party, a young man quietly cased the country club. Getting in wouldn't be much of a problem. Once people began to arrive, he'd simply mix with one of the larger groups and slip past security. His costume was a gypsy outfit, much like the ones the men of the tribe that raised him and his sister wore. He wasn't sure what he'd do once he was inside, but Zander Eisenhardt was determined that his mother had to be stopped and his sister, Petra, saved; even if he had to betray them both to his mother's oldest friend and most bitter rival.

Two dozen students and three chaperones from Xavier's arrived in three limos. Max, as he was known among his friends, figured this would be the best chance for him to slip in. He quietly merged with the others and no one was the wiser; no one except Rose, who caught whiff of an unfamiliar scent amongst her companions. It only took her a moment to identify the intruder, but she held her actions and watched the young man. Rose figured that if the kid was just a party crasher, it was one thing. She wasn't taking chances, though. Although she had no conscious memory of her past, certain behaviors were ingrained into her psyche; being constantly alert and ready for trouble was high on that list.

Across the room, Max scanned the crowd, cased the room and began looking for his opportunity. He had no idea that Rose was watching him so closely until she walked right up to him. He was caught a bit off balance, but recovered well. Life with his mother had prepared him for a lot.

"You're too good looking to be a wallflower." Rose wasn't big on party patter, but she figured that was as good an icebreaker as any.

"Not my style of dancing," Max told her. "I prefer ballroom and classical."

"And I prefer line-dancing." She tried to make her laugh sound genuine and pulled it off better than expected. "You want to give this stuff a try? It doesn't look all that hard."

Deciding it would draw too much attention to turn her down; he shrugged and let her lead him out onto the dance floor. After a couple of dances, she let him off that hook at least and they retired to a small table on the outskirts of the room. Now it was time to get some answers

"I'm Rose, by the way."

"Max." He was better at making small talk. "You're one of the kids from Xavier's, right?"

"Yes." She smiled. "I was wondering, Max, why you slipped into our group as we were arriving. My first thought was that you might be crashing, but you're more at home with this crowd than most of us. Then I noticed you were paying a lot of time watching Dr. Xavier."

He took a sip of punch. "You're good. I was fairly sure I was being adequately subtle."

"You were," Rose told him, boasting a little. "I'm just that much better. The question of the day is, why?"

"I need to talk to her."

"About?"

"Private."

Rose considered that, but decided to let Moira decide. "Gimme a minute."

 _Yo, Prof._ She projected with all her will.

 _No need to shout, Rose._ The response was calm; even serene.

 _Got a guy over here,_ Rose told Xavier. _He crashed the party by mixing with our group when we arrived. He's been watching you, so I decided to ask him why. He says he needs to talk to you. Says it's private._

Moira considered. _I'm on my way. Stay there._

A few minutes later, Moira's chair rolled up to the small table. "Rose tells me you wish to speak with me."

"This isn't the way I saw this working," Max admitted, "but here goes. My name is Zander Eisenhardt, but my friends call me Max. You've never heard of me, but you know my mother; Erika Eisenhardt."

Moira stiffened so slightly that no one except Rose would likely notice it. "How is Erika?"

"Still driven to the edge of insanity." Max's tone was blunt. "You know her grandfather was the sole member of his entire clan to survive Auschwitz. Her father joined the IDF and died fighting Arabs. She, in turn, was in the Baltic region when Yugoslavia disintegrated."

Xavier nodded. "That's where I met her; working with survivors traumatized by the war."

Max continued. "She's seen the worst mankind has to offer and sees the cycle repeating itself with mutants. She insists that her grandfather didn't have the ability to resist when the Nazis dragged his family into that camp, but she's not going to wait for it to happen to mutants."

Moira's expression was desperately sad. "It's a conversation she and I have had far too many times in the past."

"She's decided to do a preemptive strike." Max let the warning drop. "She's got a lot of other mutants with her. They're all women and call themselves the Sisterhood of Mutants. My sister, Petra, is one of them. I don't agree with what they're planning. I have to stop them, but my powers are uncontrollable."

He sighed. "I can't do it on my own. Mother often spoke of you. As much as she hated everything you stand for, she loved you. She knew you planned to gather mutants and train them to become heroes. I figured that if anyone could stop them, it'd be you."

Moira nodded sympathetically, knowing full well how much it cost Max to come to her. "What is she planning to do?"

Max took a deep breath. "There's a base up the coast in Massachusetts called Cape Citadel. They're getting a shipment of missiles and other advanced weapons in tomorrow. I wasn't in on the planning, but I know they intend to attack the base, take what they want and destroy the rest as an example to the humans."

He paused. "My sister, Petra, isn't bad. She's just being loyal to our mother. Once she sees what they plan to do, I know I can talk her into turning on them. Mother and the rest can all rot for all I care, but I have to save Petra before she gets labeled as a criminal and a terrorist."

Moira smiled. "You're a very mature and responsible young man for your age, Max. Your love for and loyalty to your sister does you credit."

Max scoffed. "You grow up fast when you're raised by a sexist and a racist, and you happen to at least be the wrong sex. Petra has always protected and cared for me. She never once lorded it over me that she was Mother's favorite. She was always there for me. Now, I have to be there for her when she needs me most."

"I've contacted my associate back at the school," Moira said, referring to Hannah. "She's bringing the jet and any equipment we'll need in the morning. I'm going to let the team have tonight, but we'll be turning in early. We have a mission."

Rose nodded. "I'll let Dr. Reyes and Forge know, and tell the others to be ready for action."

"I've already informed Carlos and Forge," Moira informed Rose. "I'll leave the others to you. Thank you, Rose. You did well tonight; extremely well."

As Rose left, Xavier turned to Max. "Erika and I see the world through very different eyes. We both see a war coming. She's concerned with winning it. I'm trying to avoid it. She believes baselines will never accept us. I have to believe that most of them can, or at least will be able to someday. She sees them as the enemy. I see them as misguided and terrified children. She believes co-existence is impossible. I believe it's necessary. It's either that or we destroy each other."

Max understood. "She's convinced mutants can and will win the war. I'm more of a realist."

The Professor smiled. "Your mother and I are both dreamers and idealists and believers. That's what drew us together and tragically what drove a wedge between us."

Max shrugged. "I'm not sure your dream is possible, Professor, but I know hers isn't. Some of us may have truly phenomenal powers, but we're still only the smallest fraction of the population. I've been studying the situation ever since I was a kid. I guess I wanted to understand Mother; maybe even find a way to please her. The more I learned, the more I realized she was wrong. If it comes to war, mankind will destroy us. Of course, what will be left of the Earth in the aftermath won't be worth living on."

Moira agreed. "All the more reason to find a way to prevent that war from ever starting."

"If that's even possible." Max wasn't even close to being convinced. "Right now, I'll be happy with stopping the Sisterhood and saving my sister."

As Max and Xavier continued to talk, Rose made her way around to where John and Sonya were dancing. "Heads up, we have a mission in th' morning. The Prof'll brief us later. Enjoy th' party while ya can. We'll be leavin' earlier 'n planned."

Sonya looked at John as Rose left to find the others. "And here I was having so much fun. I should have known it wouldn't last."

John laughed and pulled her close. "It's not over yet. You can worry about the mission and being team leader in the morning. Tonight, I just want to dance, enjoy the company and be a teenager for a little while longer."

Later that night, the young couple found themselves danced out and stepped onto the deck outside for a breath of fresh air and a little privacy. The night was brisk, but the sky was clear. It was a beautiful night for . . . Sonya wasn't sure what.

"Thanks for asking me to be your date," she said nervously as he held her next to him for warmth.

"Thanks for agreeing."

"I had a great time."

"So did I."

"What do you think . . . ?"

The excruciating small talk was ended abruptly by a gentle kiss that lasted a lot longer than either of them expected. JT started it, but Sonya was a more than willing participant, wrapping her arms around his neck and running her fingers through his hair. It was a tender moment and Moira hated having to end it.

 _Okay, my X-Men. It's time to head back to the hotel. We have a briefing, then bed. You have your work cut out for you tomorrow._

When they gathered at the entrance to wait for their limo to be brought up, Sonya noted that it was just the nine of them, the Professor and a young man she'd never met. "I guess our having a mission isn't reason to cut the others' night short."

Moira nodded sympathetically. "Dr. Reyes and Forge will be bringing them later . . . not much later at that. Did you have a good time?"

Sonya blushed crimson. "Y-y-yes. Why do you ask?"

She smiled. "That is what we all came here for, wasn't it?"

JT interjected as the car arrived, saving Sonya from stammering even more. "Yes, it was and yes, we did. Thanks for asking."

"I definitely enjoyed not having to restrain my wings," Wanda offered.

"Und I vas glad to not have to use that image inducer," Krista added.

Tatiana pulled her mask off. "It was an enjoyable evening, but I'm glad to be rid of this mask. I do not know how Lady Liberty can stand to wear it all the time."

"Hers is probably better designed," Kevin suggested.

"You looked particularly good, Tatiana." Charles smiled. "Had we stayed, I bet you would have won the costume contest."

"Speak for yourself." Wanda laughed. "I bet either my animatronic wings or Krista's professional make-up job would have taken the prize."

"Dat mebbe," Rita insisted, "but ah was definitely de sexiest one dere."

With no one seeming to have noticed her discomfort earlier, Sonya quickly regained her composure. "I think we all had a lot of fun tonight, but it's time to get to work. Professor, what's this mission you have for us tomorrow. Who's the new guy?"

Moira nodded and introduced Max. "This is Zander Eisenhardt; Max to his friends. He came to the party tonight hoping to find me. Max's mother is a woman named Erika Eisenhardt, also known as Polaris. Many years ago, she and I became friends. Unfortunately, opposing beliefs regarding the status of mutants and humans drove a wedge between us. Mutants like Polaris are the reason why I formed the X-Men. Max will take it from here."

"Thanks, Dr. Xavier." He cleared his throat. "My mother believes that mutants have to take the offensive before the baselines can organize against us and destroy us. She's gathered a group of mutant women who agree with her philosophy. They call themselves the Sisterhood of Mutants and they're extremely dangerous. Mother intends to attack Cape Citadel tomorrow, steal an arsenal of advanced weapons due to arrive there, destroy the base and anything they don't take, and make a statement to the US and world governments."

"She gonna make a statement, alright," Rita noted. "She gonna convince 'em we all de t'reat dey t'ink we are."

Max didn't disagree. "One of Mother's followers, unfortunately, is my twin sister, Petra. She's not a bad kid. She just doesn't see our mother for what she is yet. If I can stop this attack, I think I can get to Petra before she gets labeled a criminal terrorist. I have to try. I won't let Mother turn her into that."

He paused. "That's why I need your help. I'm pretty powerful, but my powers are unpredictable. I channel pure chaos into an attack that causes things to happen in an area. I can't control what happens, but it's always destructive and usually extremely loud and flashy. You can see why I'd be reluctant to use it haphazardly around a stockpile of munitions."

He looked out the window. "There's also the fact that I'd be one against nearly a dozen. I'm good, but no one's that good."

"So, who will we be up against?" Sonya asked. "What can they do? What can we expect? What weaknesses do they have?"

"First," Max began, "there's my sister. Mother calls her Quicksilver. She's a speedster and can run at many times the speed of sound. Mother, herself, controls magnetism and is extremely powerful. The others include: Avalanche, a terrakinetic; Big Bertha, who's very strong and tough, and can anchor herself so she becomes immovable; Goblin, an acrobat with claws, a prehensile tongue and spit attacks that can be toxic, blinding, smothering, even acidic . . . ."

"That's just gross." Kevin grimaced.

Max continued. "Mastermind is a powerful and even deadly illusionist. Her sister, Mesmera, is a super-hypnotist. Don't look her in the eyes. Pyre is a pyrokinetic. She can't create her own flames, but if there's any fire around, she can control it; intensify it; even solidify it. Sabretooth is more animal than woman. She has enhanced senses, a healing factor and claws. She's also stronger, more agile, tougher and faster than normal. Untouchable has a malleable force field that she can use offensively. Finally, there's Vanisher. She's a teleporter."

"I'm guessing Polaris is a bigger threat than the rest of them put together," JT suggested.

"You'd be right," Moira told them.

Once they arrived the hotel, they went to Moira's suite to continue the briefing before heading to bed. "Although no plan survives first contact with the enemy, Max's description suggests several favorable pairings. Given her aerial maneuverability, Archangel would be the most effective foe for Avalanche. Her wing flechettes could be effective against most of the opposition. Demoness can match both Goblin's agility and Vanisher's teleportation. Longshot needs to focus on his sister and limit use of his powers around explosives. Lynx would be good against Sabretooth, but her sensory gifts could make her more effective against Mastermind's illusions as well."

She paused. "Phoenix would be useful against most of these opponents, but he'd be most effective dealing with one or both of the mentalists. I won't be in the battle, but I'll be close enough to help in that fight. Rogue can match Goblin's agility, but her powers would be good against most of them. Shadowcat may be the only member of the team, other than Phoenix or myself using mental attacks, who can get to Untouchable. Storm's weather powers can make the ground treacherous for Quicksilver and drench Pyre, and her aerial ability would be useful to back up Archangel against Avalanche. Titania against Big Bertha is brick on brick. They might be too evenly matched, but at least Titania can keep the Sisterhood's brick busy while the rest of us deal with the others."

Everyone nodded agreement and comprehension of their jobs, but Moira wasn't done. "Whatever happens, don't get fixated on any one opponent. Even if your powers aren't the most effective against a given opponent, if you get a shot at someone, take it. If nothing else, you'll distract them until someone else can deal with them. On the other hand, if you're fighting someone and aren't making progress, don't be afraid to swap targets with someone else."

Sonya looked thoughtfully at Max. "That just leaves Polaris herself. I'm not sure how we get her; mentally, maybe?"

Max shook his head. "Mother expects to run afoul of you, Professor, so she's prepared. She wears a helmet designed to block telepathic attack. As long as she has it on, she's immune. My powers can mess with her, but only if I can catch her unaware. That's not easy to do. She's so tuned in to the gravimetric lines of force that she's nearly impossible to surprise."

The Professor considered that. "Your best strategy would be to find a way to get the helmet off of her. Longshot, could you focus an attack on her helmet?"

Max shrugged. "I can try. That's a little finer tuning than I'm usually capable of, but I'm motivated. I'll do what I have to. To save my sister, I'd do just about anything."

"There are certain weather conditions that hamper natural magnetism," Storm suggested. "That could help. It's not my strong suit and will take a lot of concentration, but I should be able to do it."

Xavier liked that idea, but had more suggestions. "Whatever else happens, Titania and Lynx need to stay as far away from Polaris as possible. Titania's armored skin and Lynx's skeleton would make them major liabilities against her. I'd be interested to see if her defenses can stand up to a tight focus beam from Marvel Girl. If you all focus on her from multiple forward directions, maybe Shadowcat can sneak up behind her long enough to remove her helmet. The same would be true of giving Longshot an opening. The more options you have when you face her, the better your chances of finding something that works."

As the sun rose over the US east coast, the soldiers on guard duty at the main gate to Cape Citadel were nearing the end of the night watch. They were tired and not nearly as alert as they should have been. Not that it would have made any difference in the end, but had they survived, they would have been up on charges before a court martial. They'd be spared that embarrassment at least.

They never saw where the cute strawberry blonde came from. Had they been more alert, they might have questioned that. The only thought that passed through their minds was that she looked awfully cute in her knee high black leather boots, and red leather skirt and jacket with golden flame motif.

"Pardon, lads," she asked in a pleasant British accent, "but would any of you have a light for a lass?"

The last thing any of the men would see in life would be the spark of their friend's lighter as he attempted to light the lady's cigarette. An instant later, the guard shack was ablaze and the soldiers were charred corpses. Uncaring about the men she just killed, Adelaide St. John, now called Pyre, looked at the cigarette disdainfully and tossed it away as the other members of the Sisterhood joined her.

"My Sisters!" Polaris floated above the group. "The time has come to put both mankind and men in general in their place . . . beneath our boots."

The other women raised their fists in the air and yelled their support. Even young Petra Eisenhardt joined in, but didn't really feel it in her deepest heart. She loved and believed in her mother, but surely there had to be another way.

"Avalanche, Goblin, Pyre, Sabretooth," Erika continued. "The barracks and motor pool areas are yours. Kill everyone. Destroy everything. The rest of you, with me. The cargo planes with our prizes are in the hangars waiting to be unloaded."

Storm fired a massive lightning bolt at the ground at the Sisterhood's feet and Marvel Girl cut a trench across their path as Max called out. "No, Mother. No one else dies today. No war gets started here."

The X-Men had arrived just an instant too late to save the men in the guard shack, but they weren't going to let the Sisterhood take a step further without a fight.

Polaris considered her son disdainfully. "I see you've found friends, boy. Where did you find them?"

"We're the X-Men." Marvel Girl announced with more bravado than she felt. "Stand down."

"X-Men?" Erika's expression darkened. "Zander, please tell me you did not turn to that race traitor, Moira Xavier."

Max's expression was all the response Polaris needed. "You are no son of mine. Kill them, my sisters. Let these traitors be the first casualties in this war."

Quicksilver was the first to react. She grabbed her brother and tried to remove him from the scene. "What do you think you're doing, Max?"

He let her take him; in fact, he'd counted on it. "Stopping our mother from turning you into a terrorist, Petra. She's trying to start a war no one will win. There has to be another way."

Petra stopped. "I know your right, Max, but she's our mother. I know she never let you get close to her, but she's not evil. She just wants to save our kind. There's good in her. I can't just betray her."

He shook his head. "She's going to get us all killed. The humans may not have our powers, but they will bury us with numbers. She's going to give them no choice. They'll never bend their knee to a conqueror. The world won't survive the war she wants to start. We have to stop her."

He paused, knowing that Petra's better angels were gaining ground. "I've spoken with Dr. Xavier. I don't know if her dream has that much more of a chance to succeed than Mother's, but we have to do something and Mother's war isn't it."

She hung her head. "Don't ask me to go against our own mother."

"I wouldn't," he promised. "Don't take any side. Just stay out of it and so will I. Let them settle this without us. I know I could never back Mother's dream, but I'm not ready to back Dr. Xavier's dream either. Let's see what happens. We're going to have to choose sooner or later, but we don't have to do it now. This doesn't have to involve us at all."

She nodded and Longshot reached out to Sage. _My sister and I are out of this. She's promised to not get involved if I don't. Good luck. We'll be watching._

Xavier nodded and informed the others. _Longshot has eliminated Quicksilver. Neither will be involved in this. Deal with the Sisterhood. I'll try to talk to Polaris._

"Erika," Moira called out as she maneuvered her chair behind the Sisterhood line.

Polaris whirled. Sabretooth almost attacked Moira, but Erika waved her off. "You have a lot of nerve, Moira. You subvert my own son and then you want to talk?"

Moira smiled sadly. "I didn't subvert Max, Erika. He came to me. He knew what you're trying to do is wrong. He knew he couldn't stop you, but he wasn't about to let you drag Petra into it. They're both out of the picture, by the way."

Erika was disgusted, but floated closer. "And you wonder why I hate men as much as normals. My own son is betraying me."

Moira sighed. "You have no one to blame for that but yourself. You know that, don't you? You couldn't be there for him when he needed you most. I think you probably wanted to, but didn't know how. How could you? You've never been able to understand men any better than you could understand non-mutants. That's been your problem. You lack the empathy to comprehend anything outside your personal experience."

"Don't psychoanalyze me, Moira." Erika sighed. "I hate it when you do that."

Moira understood. "Let's get back to Max, then. Having a parent who is incapable of accepting you can do one of two things to a person. It can destroy them or it can make them. Max only became as strong and independent and self-sufficient as he is because of his relationship with you. You made him. He may never thank you for that, but he owes you nonetheless."

While Moira and Erika talked, the X-Men and the Sisterhood fought. Lynx and Sabretooth seemed to notice each other at the very same instant. There was no conscious recognition on Rose's part, just an instinctive hatred and flashes of pain that enraged her. If Sabretooth had even a slightly more complete memory, she didn't show it. The two women immediately forgot the fight around them and went for each other's throats with claws and berserker fury.

Sabretooth leapt first, but Lynx met her with a shoulder to the solar plexus. The collision separated them from the others by a good distance. This was probably a good thing, because anything that got between them wasn't going to live long.

With Xavier and Polaris, as well as Lynx and Sabretooth, out of the fight, the teams were surprisingly well balanced. Both had their own advantages and their own weaknesses. The Sisterhood couldn't care less about collateral damage and had no restraint on killing. The X-Men had access to Zander's memories of the powers, tactics, weaknesses and personalities of their opponents. It would be an interesting battle.

Knowing that Vanisher's teleportation powers made her extremely dangerous, Marvel Girl and Rogue double teamed her before she could act. A force blast bounced off of Vanisher's skull even as a playing card exploded on contact with her midsection. The woman went down hard and wouldn't be a problem for at least a few minutes.

Shadowcat was a bonafide genius. Intellectual problems were simple for him. When looking for challenges, therefore, he had to turn to the physical. He chose the martial arts and he was pretty good at it. He knew that Mesmera was very dangerous and difficult to attack head on. According to Max, the green skinned woman could take over your mind with just a glance.

Kevin phased into the ground and moved behind Mesmera, then came up, solidified and kicked her in the head. The move knocked her to the floor, but didn't quite take her out. She rolled over and tried to lock eyes with her attacker. He barely avoided the attack by ducking back into the ground.

When he came up next, he was again behind her, but had a bag in his hands. He quickly solidified, pulled it over her head and locked it tight. "You can't attack what you can't see, lady, so why don't you just give up."

"Never," Mesmera cursed as she tried to tear the bag off, discovering it was made of Kevlar and the lock on the drawstring only slid one way.

Shadowcat simply shrugged, then kicked Mesmera in the crook of the knee, knocking her down. Once she was on her face, he climbed on her back and pulled her arms behind her, slipping them into riot cuffs and securing them. A second set would go around her ankles and a third would secure the first two to each other.

 _Mesmera's down,_ he announced over the mind link.

His victory was short lived, however, as Goblin first kicked him, stunning him, then spat a slime in his face that instantly solidified; blocking his air way. Seeing Kevin was starting to panic, Demoness leaped into the fray. Armed with a rapier in each hand and a third held in her tail, Krista teleported into the air above Goblin and kicked her forcefully in the back of the head.

"Guten Morgen, fraulein," she said with a laugh. "I'll be vith you in a moment."

As Goblin took an instant to clear her head, Demoness took Shadowcat's head between her sword wielding hands and tried to calm her friend. "Focus, Kater. You can do this. Calm yourself und concentrate. You can phase out of the goop. You just can't panic. I'll deal vith Goblin."

The words cut through Kevin's rising terror. He knew his friend was right. He'd trained for this. The goop was no different that handcuffs or any other restraint. He'd phased out of those, he could do it now.

Seeing Kevin stop struggling, Krista was able to refocus on Goblin just in time to narrowly bamf out of the way of a fresh attack. As Shadowcat freed himself from the goop and gasped for air, he watched the pair fight. At least he tried to. They were moving too fast for his eyes to follow. Kevin had been training his agility and skills for nearly eight years, but he knew he couldn't even come near to the superhuman reflexes and agility of that pair of ladies. It was an incredible display and he let himself get distracted. Unfortunately, it was about to cost him.

Mastermind had seen Shadowcat attack her sister and had been waiting for a shot at him. This fascination was the opening she'd been waiting for. Suddenly, Kevin was under attack from Pyre. Flames were engulfing his body and he couldn't phase fast enough to escape them. He realized he was about to die.

Then, just as suddenly as the flames appeared, they vanished and he was unharmed. With a gasp of adrenalin and phantom pain, he looked around and saw Mastermind suddenly stiffen. Phoenix was standing behind the woman and nodded.

 _Now, that wasn't very nice._ JT taunted the woman. _Why don't you try it with me?_

Suddenly finding herself dragged onto the psychic plane, Mastermind was at first at a loss. She'd never been there before. That, combined with the fact that she was a dedicated illusionist fighting a trained telepath, put her at a decided disadvantage, but she wasn't going to give up without a fight. Not to this . . . man . . . this boy.

Justine Wyngarde and her twin sister, Martinique, hadn't had a good childhood. Their father was an abusive bastard who hated the fact that one of his daughters was so visibly a mutant. He wasn't stupid, however. He knew that with the exception of skin color, the girls were identical twins, which meant that if green skinned Martinique was a mutant, so was beautiful little Justine.

Mastermind took everything her father did to her and her sister and put it all together in a single powerful illusory attack and struck Phoenix with it. JT reeled from the attack, but his shields held . . . if barely. No wonder these girls hated men as much as they did.

He was disgusted by the images and wanted to throw up, but he also felt a wave of irresistible compassion. He slapped down the disgust and turned the compassion into a wave that washed over his opponent in a deluge that cradled her even as it threatened to drown her.

Justine's response, however, was completely unexpected. "How DARE you feel sorry for me! You have no right! To HELL with your pity! I'll destroy you!"

JT figured he'd found the right attack for battling Mastermind, so he pressed it further, flooding her with waves of compassion and understanding. He didn't think she would be able to withstand much more of it. He even let some of his honest disgust with and anger over what had been done to the girls slip into the attack. A few seconds later in the real world, Mastermind collapsed to her knees, crying and exhausted; still enraged, but lacking the emotional energy to continue.

Pyre loved burning things. It was in her nature. She pulled an old lighter out of the pocket of her red leather jacket. It wasn't just any lighter. It was a special one. It had belonged to her father. She took it off of his burnt corpse after she killed him for hitting her mother. Of course, her mother hadn't been appreciative. She'd called Adelaide a witch and a monster. She stopped, however, when Adelaide ignited the lighter and turned the flame on her; burning down the house she grew up in and killing both parents, then leaving and never looking back.

As she called up the flame now and loosed it on Marvel Girl and Rogue, Storm hit her with a four square foot area class five monsoon. Pyre was thrown to the ground with enough force to send her rebounding up into the air. It was a second too late, however. The damage had been done.

Sonya saw the attack and blocked it with a wide arc optic blast, which protected her, but couldn't save Rogue. Rita took the full brunt of Pyre's flames. They only burned for an instant before Storm put them out, but she still suffered second and third degree burns to her face, arms and chest.

"Archangel," Sonya called out as she ran towards their downed companion. "Man down. Rogue needs you."

Unlike several of the other members of the Sisterhood, Dominique Petros hadn't had that bad of a life. She was just a bad seed who liked hurting people and had no moral compass when it came to making money. She didn't really care about the Sisterhood's goals and agenda. She just wanted money and power and the freedom to hurt people with impunity. Polaris was happy to supply her with all three.

As Wanda came down to help Rita, Avalanche saw her chance and sent a wave of earth to bury them. Her wave, however, ran into Marvel Girl who countered it with an optic blast much as she had Pyre's attack. She even managed to send a hunk of rock flying back to strike Avalanche in the head, taking her down and ending the attack.

Whereas Polaris had rescued the Wyngarde sisters from virtual slavery to their abusive father, and helped Madelyne Toynbee escape from a maximum security juvenile facility, she found Beatrice Dukes and Amelia Unuscione working in a carnival freak show. The degrading behavior the pair had been put through there bonded them until they were more than just friends and partners, they were lovers.

They specialized in tag teaming opponents and focused on Titania. Amelia's force field was extremely malleable and virtually impenetrable. Beatrice was a huge woman of truly Rubenesque proportions. She carried it surprisingly well and the layers of fat made her nearly invulnerable. She was also extremely strong and could focus gravity around her, making her even more immovable than she was invulnerable.

Max had let Titania in on a secret, however. Although Big Bertha was immovable, the ground beneath her, assuming you could get deep enough, wasn't. Ignoring Untouchable for a moment, Titania dug her steel fingers into the ground as deep as she could and heaved, ripping up several tons of earth and hurling Bertha onto her partner. Untouchable's force field would protect her, but she wouldn't be able to move until Big Bertha got up.

With more than half of the combatants on each side either at least temporarily out of the fight, or totally focused on one on one battles, Marvel Girl continued to focus her attacks on Avalanche, keeping the woman off balance and unable to counter attack with tight shots at her feet and wider shots that hit larger sections of her body. It was a delaying tactic. Sonya wasn't sure she could take out the terrakinetic without killing her and Sonya Summers was no killer.

Lynx and Sabretooth were both still going at it. Rose's uniform was in shreds, but so was her opponent's, and they were both covered in each other's blood, but neither was giving an inch. They likely wouldn't until one of them was dead . . . or both were. Each of them had already been forced to pull their own entrails back into their guts at least once, but neither had said so much as a single word. Such vestiges of humanity as speaking had no place in the primal holocaust that raged between them.

Seeing that Titania was dealing with two opponents, Phoenix turned his attention to Untouchable, who was struggling to her feet as Big Bertha rolled off of her. Not having time to get creative, JT hit her with a simple mind blast. Untouchable's force field might be impervious to physical and energy attacks, but it offered no defense against mental powers. The woman collapsed to her knees, and passed out from the sudden wave of impossible pain. She wouldn't be a factor in the fight.

Despite the deluge, Pyre was eventually able to get her lighter to ignite by sheltering it with her body. Storm caught her by surprise the first time. Now she was ready for him. She created a fire golem too intense to be put out by rain and wind and tried to swat Charles out of the air. When he first arrived at Xavier's, that attack might have hit him, but Storm had been working extensively on his aerial agility and narrowly managed to avoid the massive paw that tried to swat him out of the air.

It was still close and his cape got seriously charred, but he came through it reasonably unscathed. He quickly tore the smoking cloth off, already regretting agreeing to wear it. Figuring it was a good idea to return the favor, he evaded the golem and focused on Pyre, releasing a bolt of lightning from the sky, but narrowly missing. A near miss with a lightning bolt is still devastating, of course, and Pyre had to dive out of the way at the last instant to avoid being at ground zero. In the process, she lost focus on her creation and it slowly began to fizzle in the downpour. She was seriously dazed and out for the moment.

Finding herself with only one opponent left, Titania focused on Big Bertha. This was fine with the massive woman. The pair attacked each other with great abandon and the Earth around them shook. Titania was the stronger of the two by a factor of magnitude, but Big Bertha's powers compensated for that better than expected. Both women were virtually impervious to harm. Neither was able to gain an advantage. Left to themselves, they would be at this a long time and still only do damage to the area around them.

Moments later, with Mesmera, Mastermind and Untouchable were all out of the fight, while Pyre was at least temporarily dealt with, the X-Men with a slight numbers advantage. Not as much of one as they might have had because Archangel was exhausted by her emergency healing attempt and Rogue would take several seconds to recover, but an advantage was an advantage. How long that would last, though, was up for question.

Demoness' teleporting abilities gave her a small edge over Goblin, but only as long as she could evade her opponent's claws and spit attacks. Goblin, however, had a slight advantage in the agility department. As good as Krista was, Goblin was better. Krista, of course, had three razor sharp rapiers, so again the balance shifted a bit. In the end, it was simply too close to call. Goblin had several mostly superficial cuts from Demoness' rapiers. Krista had a few claw marks from close calls and an acid burn on her left hip that she knew she couldn't let slow her down.

Avalanche sent a wave of dirt at Marvel Girl. The attack rose so fast, from an opponent Sonya thought was at least distracted, if not out, that she barely managed to counter it with a wide arc optic blast. Even so, a large shard of rock hit her in the head, drawing blood and stunning her. She fell back and was covered with dirt; not quite buried, but definitely concealed. A good thing, because she wasn't sure she could deal with another attack in her condition.

As Storm finished off Pyre, Vanisher returned to the fight, appearing above Charles and dropping down on him with a knife that narrowly missed his spine, instead cutting deeply into his shoulder. In shock, Storm fell from the air, only to be caught by Phoenix who had just finished taking out Untouchable. When Vanisher tried to attack again, she ported right into the path of a telekinetic slap that broke several of her ribs and knocked her unconscious. She then deposited Storm with an exhausted, but determined Archangel who went immediately to work.

A short distance away, a barely recognizable, but victorious Lynx shoved both fists of claws through the torso and spine of the even less recognizable Sabretooth. She then collapsed herself from her own terrible injuries. The fight between the two left blood and bits of body splattered over nearly an acre of ground.

On the other side of the main fight, Krista realized she was tiring fast. So was Goblin, of course, but it wouldn't be long before one of them made a potentially fatal mistake. She decided to finish it now before things got to that point. She appeared above Goblin, striking downward with her right hand, hitting Goblin at the base of the skull with the knuckle guard of her rapier. Teleporting again, she appeared beneath Goblin with an uppercut using her left hand and knuckle guard. Goblin went down hard and didn't get back up.

Seeing that seven Sisterhood members were incapacitated at least temporarily, Shadowcat looked around for someone to fight. Titania and Big Bertha were still going strong and Avalanche was still fighting Marvel Girl. Archangel was unconscious, exhausted from healing multiple teammates, and Kevin wasn't sure where Lynx even was, but Storm and Rogue were recovering, while Demoness and Phoenix were still active, but not directly engaged with anyone. If there was ever a time to make a move, this was it.

Kevin knew Polaris was still engaged in conversation with Sage and had her back to them. Running silently on air, he decided to phase through Polaris' force field, then solidify just enough to grab her helmet. He hoped to phase it out and get away before she could do anything about it. Unfortunately, although he knew Polaris was tuned in to the gravimetric lines of force he had no idea just how tuned in and didn't realize that even phased, his body still interacted with them.

Sensing the attack, Polaris reacted with brutal efficiency. Kevin flew back explosively and landed in a solid heap more than twenty feet away. He was unconscious well before he landed and visible static electricity arced up and down his crumpled form. Moira wasn't even sure the poor boy was still breathing and the disruption made it difficult to detect any thought from him; subconscious or not. She simply had to hope and pray for the best.

Seeing an opening, Phoenix took a moment to make sure that any member of the Sisterhood who was down, but not completely out, stayed down. That freed Marvel Girl and Demoness to double team Avalanche while Titania finished off Big Bertha. When Avalanche stepped over to check on and probably finish off Marvel Girl, but was met by a point blank optic blast that threw her into the air where Demoness met her with a series of blows using the knuckle guards of her rapiers.

As Avalanche dropped to the dirt unconscious, Titania delivered a final haymaker to her reeling opponent. Big Bertha was already nearly out on her feet after the beating she took from Titania. The final blow finished the job. Big Bertha toppled like a felled tree and the earth shook with the resounding impact.

Finally, the X-Men stood alone on the field against Polaris. Erika's first attack was on Moira, but it was turned by a device Forge built into her wheelchair that neutralized magnetic energy.

"I suspected you'd be protected against my powers, Moira." Polaris frowned. "Can the same be said about your students?"

Before anyone else could react, Polaris magnetically latched on to Titania's metal form and sent her hurtling at Moira with deadly velocity. Knowing that if she impacted Sage in armored form, she'd kill her, Tatiana quickly reverted to flesh. The die was cast, however, and momentum didn't lessen. The large woman collided with her mentor with bone cracking force, knocking both unconscious.

Marvel Girl quickly rallied the rest of the X-Men. "Phoenix, Storm, Rogue, hit her with everything you have. Demoness, you know what to do."

The force garnered by the four young heroes was impressive. The combined devastation of Marvel Girl's optic blasts, Storm's lightning and sleet, Phoenix' blasts of pure psychokinetic force and Rogue's exploding projectiles would have turned an armored tank into scrap. Polaris was staggered by the power, but her force field held. The four weren't the attack, however, they were the distraction.

Demoness couldn't teleport more than a few miles at extreme range and her power was affected by gravity, making it more difficult to teleport north or south than east or west, and most difficult of all to teleport vertically. She had no idea how Polaris' force field would affect her power, but she had to try.

She vanished in a cloud of brimstone and appeared inside the magnetic field, but was sufficiently disoriented that Polaris was able to react before she could grab the helmet and teleport away. Krista's swords were made of a high tech ceramic polymer and not metal, and none of the X-Men costumes had any ferrous metal in them. Unfortunately, there was more than enough iron in the human blood stream to give Erika a potent means of disabling, or given enough time, even killing an opponent. She turned this power on Krista first.

The girl didn't even have time to scream as her blood suddenly froze in her veins and arteries. When Polaris turned her powers on the rest of the X-Men, the fight was effectively over. Of the ten opponents standing in her way, Erika Eisenhardt was responsible for the incapacitation of eight. Two last threats remained, however, her own traitorous children.

From a safe distance, Max stood next to his sister and watched the battle turn against the X-Men. "We can't just let her kill them. They're just kids like us. Is this the world you want where disagreeing with our mother is a death sentence?"

Petra Eisenhardt wasn't a bad person. She wasn't by nature a violent person. She blinked her tears away, then nodded and vanished in a blur, grabbing first one X-Man, then another and removing them from the battlefield in the blink of an eye. In an instant, the field was clear of X-Men and the members of the Sisterhood were piled on and around Big Bertha's unconscious form.

Seeing his sister finally make the decision he knew she would eventually make, Max smiled. The expression vanished quickly, however, as he turned his focus on his mother's helmet. He'd never focused his powers with such laser keen focus before, but he was driven and determined. His mother had to be stopped. Even with the X-Men out of danger and the Sisterhood incapacitated, Erika could still finish her goal all on her own. He couldn't let that happen. He couldn't let her start a war that could only end one way.

Sweat broke out on his forehead as he concentrated and gathered his power. When he couldn't contain it any longer, he released it in a beam that zeroed in on the helmet. The effect was nothing short of spectacular. Sparks flew, then smoke, then the helmet exploded outward.

Erika collapsed to her knees. She was stunned, temporarily blinded and a little singed. She'd have some bruises to remember this by, but wasn't seriously injured. "It's over, mother. Take your people and leave. You failed."

"Think you can stop me, boy?" Erika blinked and tried to focus. "I don't think so."

"Maybe not." Max took no joy in the situation. "Do you know how long Dr. Xavier is going to remain unconscious? How long do you think you'll last against her without your helmet?"

Erika paused, then stared daggers through the twins. "I have no children. I curse the day I gave birth to you two. Go join the race traitor. We're enemies the next time we meet."

Before either of the twins could respond, assuming they intended to, Erika lifted off and, taking the unconscious members of the Sisterhood with her, left the area just seconds ahead of the arrival of reinforcements from the base.

"Freeze!" An Air Force Major who had the sad luck of being put in charge of this armed response. "Nobody move. Don't even blink."

 _It's okay, Major Flannery._ Moira pushed her will forward. _We're not your enemies. Please call FBI agent Frieda Duncan. She's our liaison with the government._

An hour later, it was over. Agent Duncan made sure the X-Men were recognized as the heroes of the day. Mutants may have attacked Cape Citadel, but it was also mutants who defended it. They may have been taken down by Polaris, but they took out the Sisterhood first, and stopped them from stealing the weapons and destroying the base. All in all, Moira was more than happy to take the win.

"You all comported yourselves admirably, my students," she told them on the flight home. "I couldn't be more proud of you. Individual evaluations will be made once I've had the chance to view the tapes of the battle and deconstruct what happened."

She turned to the twins. "What do you two intend to do now? There's a place for both of you in my school. And before you ask, not all students are being trained to be X-Men. Most are just there to get an education and learn to control their powers so they can interact with society without being a danger to themselves or others. That's not to say you wouldn't be welcome on the team, of course."

Max turned to Petra who nodded. "I don't know about becoming a hero, but we need somewhere to live and need to attend school."

Max agreed. "We'll take you up on at least the first half of your offer, Professor. As for the second, we'll see."


End file.
